This chunk of salt-white stone proved quite hard; what started as a rough boulder remained a challenge even after considerable work.
At that moment, the master craftsman from Jing Lei’s marketplace arrived. Jing Lei asked him to examine the rough. He took the stone, first comparing it with a bangle mold, then using a light to inspect the other half. He declared, “We can get four large bangles, and one slightly smaller pair. The bangles alone are worth around 1.5 million. The rest can yield about ten pieces for pendants and smaller carvings, dozens of them. We can acquire this stone for 15 million, Mr. Zhang, what do you say?”
Jing Lei responded, “The bangles for Sister Xiang are on me. I’ll still pay 15 million. Brother Bao, what do you think?”
Brother Qing started to interject, but Brother Bao spoke first, “Then it’s settled. This rough is a sure profit, it’s just a matter of how much. We’ll go with her decision.”
Brother Qing fell silent. Sister Xiang was visibly excited and was now cooing at Brother Qing, showering us all with affection.
A set of bangles worth 1.5 million, and not even the retail price, just given to her as a gift. Jing Lei’s actions moved me.
She was a businesswoman, profit always came first. 15 million was a fair price. If she hadn’t offered the bangles, no one would have faulted her, but by giving them, she sacrificed over a million in profit.
I held her hand and gently patted it, expressing my gratitude.
If the suspicion in Brother Qing’s mind could be quelled, Jing Lei deserved some credit.
Just then, the capstone was cut off. The craftsman washed away the powder and exclaimed, “Beautiful!”
Knowing this stone was a success, my confidence grew. I took the rough from the craftsman.
I had gambled right again. When cut open, this stone was like glass. Aside from a few wisps of color, it was crystal clear, colorless, without cracks – a complete piece of Muna jade with a glassy base.
It could yield at least four kilometers of pure material!
This rough was more suitable for making pendants and small carvings. I handed it to the craftsman, who began measuring and murmuring. After a while, he announced, “Boss, I estimate we can sell it for 18 million.”
Jing Lei said, “Great! Also, set aside a pendant for Sister Xiang. I’ll have finance transfer the money to Brother Bao’s account later.”
Brother Qing clapped me on the shoulder, beaming, “You’re something else, kid. This white stone… I would never have dared to gamble on it. What could you possibly see in it? No python skin, no old skin, not even a reference color, and you’ve helped us unlock such value. You’re a genius!”
I replied, “I was just guessing. If one day I don’t strike gold, Brother Qing, please don’t blame me.”
Brother Qing said, “If you don’t strike gold, I won’t blame you. Even immortals can’t predict the value of jade. I understand that. However, I still believe in your ability. It looks like my expenses are covered. With those hands of yours, you can help me carve out a new path over there.”
I quickly said, “Brother Qing, please don’t say that. I won’t be able to sleep.”
Brother Qing laughed heartily. Brother Bao motioned for him to head back, and we followed them out.
I said goodbye to the Angchai brothers. They saw us off to the car before turning back.
Today was a great victory. Brother Qing had an income of over ten million, which would hopefully alleviate some of his suspicion about the raw stone.
The three of us also walked away with nearly ten million. Lan Ya spent the entire journey calculating how to spend her share.
Jing Lei suggested, “You should buy some land. We can sell it to developers later, or build villas and live together.”
Lan Ya agreed, “That’s a good idea. Let’s give you all our money then – about 900 million plus. You have a good head for business, you handle it.”
I proposed, “Let’s register a company first. That way, we’ll have a legitimate entity for building houses.”
Lan Ya exclaimed, “Great! Let’s call it ‘Three Brothers Real Estate Development Company.’ With this money, we can make a big splash!”
I agreed, “Yes! Three Brothers Company, a good name. A triangle is the most stable shape. I believe that one day, we three brothers will dominate Ruili, dominate Yunnan province!”
Jing Lei declared, “No! We will conquer the world!”
Fortunately, it was just the three of us in the car. Two young girls, one still a minor, spouting such bold claims – it was enough to make anyone laugh!
I still had twenty million with Jing Lei. Brother Bao had said that the large raw stone would be split, giving us each a ten percent share, amounting to a hundred million. That meant another ten million for us. This would ensure our company had sufficient follow-up funds.
Jing Lei continued, “We can apply with two more IDs from Hua Zi. Let’s divide the responsibilities. Hua Zi will be the chairman, after all, he earned this money, and we might need his input for future finances. Lan Ya, do you have any objections?”
Lan Ya replied, “You don’t even need to ask me. I agree one hundred percent.”
Jing Lei nodded, “Alright, Lan Ya, you’ll be the general manager. You’re good at dealing with external parties, the company’s heavy lifting will be on your shoulders. I’ll be the financial director, I’ll manage the money. Do either of you have any objections?”
I quickly said, “I have no objections.”
Lan Ya also agreed. Jing Lei continued,
“Once the company is established, we’ll start looking for land. Currently, the main development focus is on this side of the border. When building residential areas, we don’t necessarily need to be too close to the border. Being close to the border is good for business, but for living, environment and quiet are paramount. I think these areas, lacking commercial value yet, might not be expensive. Let’s acquire them first. Once conditions are right, we’ll start construction.”
Lan Ya added, “Big Sister is indeed Big Sister, her foresight is much greater than ours. I’ll start scouting for locations in the coming days, and then we can do site inspections. We need to like it ourselves first before others will. What do you both think?”
We both agreed. We chatted like this until we reached our destination.
The car drove into the distillery’s compound. The sound of cutting machines had stopped. We got out and walked into the workshop, seeing several workers using a hoist to lift a stone, preparing it to be moved by a forklift.
I held a water hose, waiting to rinse the stone after it was moved.
Brother Qing and Sister Xiang stood behind me. Sister Xiang, having acquired a high-quality green bangle and a piece of glassy-based jade today, was in excellent spirits, her smile radiant.
Brother Qing was also in a great mood. If the large stone yielded something substantial, he’d be even happier.
However, I hoped this stone wouldn't produce anything remarkable. If it turned out to be ordinary, it would be fine. But if it yielded high-quality jade, even just a few hundred catties, Brother Qing might start to connect it to the other raw stone. By the time he calmed down, he would still drag Brother Bao into trouble.
Moreover, Brother Bao was genuinely culpable. If, by some slim chance, Brother Qing learned the truth, it wouldn't be a fire that could resolve the situation; it could lead to an open break between them!
Over a hundred million yuan was enough to cause them to fall out a dozen times over!
So, standing there, I felt conflicted. I hoped the stone would reveal something, yet I also wished it to be a stubborn rock, or perhaps ordinary material with poor texture and extremely low clarity. That way, everything would be for the best, and all would be well!
Watching the forklift carefully approach the cut half of the stone, my heart leaped into my throat.
That kind of anxiety was something I had never experienced before in my life.